Calling all Graduate Teaching Assistants

Today I received a list of Graduate students that are teaching in UTPA. Thank you Bobbie! I just sent them an email requesting for the online TAM survey submission. Though the results show 47 participants, I found out there is another section that shows:  43 completed surveys and 4 surveys that were started but not completed. The goal is to get at least 50 submissions. Guess I will find out by tomorrow how many graduate students have taken and completed the survey.

Round 1 of the Delphi Questionnaire has also been sent. What I did was took a word document and copied the questions and then below the questions entered each participant's responses. No identifying information was included in the responses and I then sent them an email back asking them to review the responses and then respond to the questions again in light of the responses. Each are emailed individually. I am curious as to how this will go.  I think I will ask if they have any questions just in case. I have a total of 6 participating here. 

The email for the announcements for the TAM Online Survey looks like this:

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Good Afternoon,

This is a call for participants to partake in an online survey on your perception of 3-Dimensional Multi- User Virtual Environments (MUVE’s), such as Second Life. We are looking for faculty, lectures and graduate teaching assistants that have never used MUVE’s to complete the survey. Attached to the survey you will find the consent form.

What are MUVE’s? They are virtual worlds that provide a social arena where role-playing, simulations, exploration, and experimentation can occur. Higher Education institutions have joined Second Life seeking to utilize its potential application in education. The University of Texas-Pan American maintains four islands in Second Life currently used by faculty for instruction and research purposes. Users are presented as Avatars that can interact with other people and objects created in the 3-D environment. These actions are occurring in real time allowing users to collaborate with others from around the world. The environment simulating real life topography, movement and physics achieves the illusion of being there. Educators can create their own environments and simulations or use existing ones created by other users.

To take the survey, please go to [removed survey link]. The first page you see in the online survey is the consent form. Completing and submitting the online survey indicates your voluntarily agreeing and consenting to participate in this study and that the procedures involved have been described to your satisfaction.

Reannouncing with a twist

TAM Online Survey

So last time I sent out the announcement to UTPA faculty, on a Friday, I sent it through a list serve. In two weeks I received 24 responses. Today, I sent out messages in the morning to 63 faculty, professors and lecturers, individually (started at 8:30AM... some breaks as faculty came in for assistance with Blackboard). That was this morning, and I have received over 15 responses within 4 hours, its 12 noon right now. I was wondering if the reason for the limited responses was because I sent the announcement on a Friday. Perhaps many didn't check their email so that on Monday, they would have had several messages in their inbox that they may have missed the announcement. After today, I want to hold for about a month to see how many responses I get to see if I need to send another announcement.

Ok. I am up to 41 responses and it's 2:16PM. My minimum goal is 50 and hoping for 100.

I am going to find out if I can get responses from graduate students that are also teaching to see their responses.

Delphi Model Questionnaire

I have placed the responses of the questionnaire in a word document without any identifying information. I mixed the responses for each of the answers. I am still waiting for 2 more in order to begin Round 1. How I have done it is first request their participation through email individually and attach the IRB approved consent form. Once they respond, then I send them an email with the questions. Once I get everyone's response, I will place all their responses in a word document and send them the questions again and ask them to read the responses and in light of those responses look at the questions again and respond to them.

Field Based Experiences

Today I plan to attend a school board meeting. I am really curious about the experience. I'll share how it went later

New updates

Well, it was quite the experience in working and submitting my IRB. I am really grateful for my site supervisors help as well as my supervisor in being additional eyes and giving me feedback on my survey questions. It seemed like once I submitted my IRB, there was a bit of back and forth in placing additional information as well as modifying some things. It was a good experience. I am using Qualtrics not survey monkey, as the University now requires all online surveys to use it. It was easy to learn.
I had released my online survey 2 weeks ago. I was sooo excited. Thus far I have only gotten 24 submissions, I plan to send out another email on that to get more submissions. For the Delphi Model Questionnaire I have gotten 5 volunteers. I have recieved their initial responses and will proceed with Round 1. Let's see how it goes.

Lessons Learned. I should have held off sending the questions to the Delphi Model to give more time for people to respond. Some will have waited a bit longer to receive everyone's responses.

EDLD 5364: Teaching with Technology

When looking back on what we covered and what we read, in EDLD 5364, I can see the alignment of the various ideas given with the objectives given for the course. The problem based scenario is an example of authentic learning and assessment because we are taking a real life situation and then using the concepts we have learned in our readings to show proof of understanding as well as incorporating innovative media/technology. I see the groups we worked with in our group assignment as our learning communities. These groups were created not only to complete the proposed problem but to work on our skills of collaboration and leadership.

By collaborating consistently and efficiently our group becomes the smartest person then any individual in the group. Isn’t that what we want to achieve so that all of us can gain something more out of it. As well, it provides us with a means of constant feedback. As we look on each others work we can provide suggestions to improve upon as well as build up a repository of resources. In looking back I often gave trainings where I showed instructors how to use a tool, give examples and suggestions for best practices, answered questions and then let them go. What I can do now is create learning communities where they can continue to develop and refine their skills.

My approach to complete the assignments was as follows: I would first read the text and videos, look at checklist for weeks task, login about daily to our group wiki, then attend live sessions, post to the discussion then complete group task and do my reflection. To determine if I completed my tasks as required I would look both at the Group Checklist as well as the Rubrics given for the assignment. From the in class discussions I learned what other people took out in their readings and gained more insight based on the reflections added. It was one of those “ wow I missed that” or “Oh, I didn’t see it that way”. I believe reading each others reflections really helped to gain more insight.

I believe one of the things I should have in hand for projects or tasks are Rubrics. I believe it would make me efficient and the results will be more impacting. Also, I want to take some of the quotes I enjoyed and place them in a wall in my office to incite discussion amongst faculty.

The questions and issues that are challenging come from the Big Thinkers Videos. In Gee’s  (Edutopia.org, nd) recording he talks about what our “Sputnik” today would be and what direction education is headed in the future. In this field of educational technology and leadership it is essential to be a willing life long learner. The job not only demands it, but to meet students needs and get them to achieve their objectives we as instructional technologists need to continually refine ourselves. The questions that arise as I think about this are: How can I as an instructional technologist get my faculty involved in learning communities? How can I ensure these learning communities are effective and ongoing?

In current or future jobs, it is critical to show instructors how to create clearly defined learning objectives before they go on looking for what technology to use. First focus on the content, then the technology(Scharter, 1999).

Citations:

Edutopia.org (nd). Big thinkers: James Paul Gee on grading with games. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-james-gee-video.

Schacter, J. (1999). The impact of education technology on student achievement: What the most current research has to say. Santa Monica, CA: Milken Exchange on Education Technology. Retrieved from http://www.mff.org/pubs/ME161.pdf. Lessonbuilder.cast.org (nd).

Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, New schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education, 99 – 116.

Thus far

So I am now on my fourth course for the program and I have to say that it has been a lot of fun. There are new tools that I have been introduced to and now utilize elsewhere. It has been a blessing.

Lately I have had a break in Blackboard Learn trainings at work, but because it is early on in the semester there have been lots of request for help. Pretty much, the help requests have come from those that did not attend the training. There has been a lot of fuss about the new platform, but I think it is more stemming from the fact that instructors need to become familiar with the new platform. Those instructors that have love it!!! I have to say I love it to. Yesterday, staff from the Blackboard Learn company came to visit our campus to provide our faculty with an informational session. I am excited to see what is coming down the pipeline. Cool stuff.

For class, I have been getting into revising my blog and google site layout and template. I want to make it look more visually appealing. In my current class we have learned the concept of C.R.A.P. for good visual design principles. HA! That acronym surely does stick with an individual. But seriously it is broken down to: Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity. Fundamental elements one should keep in mind when creating graphics and laying out your design in websites, flyers etc....

Working with my group in this class has been great. We are soo far ahead of the game in completion of tasks. We are about done, and we haven't completed week 3 of the class yet.

Oh by the way, go visit GoAnimate.com. It is lots of fun! I made my own little anime movie. =)